Boruto's mom's Byakugan had many strengths. The ability to see two hundred miles away, especially when Boruto was eating snacks before lunch, which she didn't like. The ability to see any cuts and bruises Boruto got while playing. She would always pull him into a hug whenever she saw those, and put her special ointment on them, making Boruto's pain go away in an instant. The ability to understand what he was thinking and feeling without him even saying a thing. Kaa-chan always knew when he was feeling down, and she always knew how exactly to calm his nerves with a small tap of her hand on his shoulder.
At the age of seven, Boruto knew that his mom's eyes had amazing powers. And a fatal weakness.
The Byakugan could not handle flash photography. This was a big problem.
How did he know this? Because she would smile so brightly when tou-chan would take all these photos (and he would take a lot of them), and she would close her eyes tightly, so that not even a sliver of her sanpaku could be seen.
Boruto wasn't stupid. He, too, could understand what his mom was thinking and feeling without words. And clearly, she had a fatal flaw in the form of flash photography.
So he did whatever he could to stop his mom's eyes from hurting. It was just so annoying that she didn't understand why.
Oh well. It was for her own good. It didn't matter if she didn't understand now. She would when she was older.
"Onii-chan, are you...sure that Mama's eyes hurt when Papa takes photos?"
"I'm sure, ya know!" Boruto puffed out his seven-year-old chest. Hima, just like kaa-chan, was too young too understand. "Don't you notice that she always closes her eyes when tou-chan takes them?"
"She always closes her eyes when she smiles," Himawari pointed out. "Because she's happy, not because her eyes hurt."
"Her eyes could hurt and she could be happy at the same time." He gesticulated wildly at his own tongue. "Like...when I eat super spicy food, it hurts, but I feel really happy."
"That makes no sense," she deadpanned, going back to her crayon drawing and thereafter completely ignoring him.
He scowled.
Looked like he would have to take this to the higher-ups directly.
"Stop taking flash photos?" his dad asked skeptically.
"That's right!" Boruto stomped his foot on the fluffy stuffed animal pillow authoritatively to get his point across. This house was noisy. Sometimes Boruto had to take drastic measures. "For kaa-chan's health!"
"For...her health?" Tou-chan stared at him in some concern, as though Boruto had announced that he hated ramen.
"For her health," Boruto repeated patiently. "'Cuz she doesn't like the camera. She's just too nice to say so."
"Eh? But she's the one who bought the camera. The Nikon D3500, great for HD resolution or something like that, she said."
Boruto stared at his dad in horror.
The situation was worse than he thought. Kaa-chan was hurting her eyes. On purpose. With the most dangerous camera she could get her hands on.
His dad scratched the back of his blonde head the way he did when he got super confused.
He didn't understand, then.
Boruto's panic reached a fever pitch.
Was he the only person with common sense in this family.
He backed away slowly.
This was bad.
"Boruto...? Come back and finish your vegetables! I know, I know, they're awful-tasting, but you know how kaa-chan gets – hey! Boruto!"
"Boruto looks very cute in these photos, Uzumaki-san," Mitsuki said, smiling calmly at the album that Boruto's mom had opened up.
It was of him at the age of three, in teddy bear-patterned diapers. Boruto cringed.
He loved his mom. He really did. He also really liked Mitsuki, his classmate, best friend, and fellow squad member. He really did.
He didn't like them together. Inviting him over for dinner was a big mistake.
Sarada snickered at the diaper photo.
Inviting her over for dinner was also a big mistake.
His mother beamed. "I'm so glad you think so. Dad spent lots of time on these photos. He's even laminated them and put them in the Hokage's office."
That was lovely. Boruto's three-year-old teddy bear diapers on display for all high-ranking ninja and Gokage to see.
His whole life was a big mistake.
"What are these photos, Uzumaki-san?" Mitsuki said, still smiling placidly and pointing at –
Boruto's blood curdled.
His mom smiled at the family photo, of them all wearing bright pink sunglasses, her eyes squeezing tightly shut at the memory.
"Well...Boruto here had this idea that I didn't like flash photography..."
A/N: For Day 2: Family Photos/Drawings!
I hope I got kid!Boruto accurately. They're so cute at that age, haha. :)